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Mary Ann Perez
Real Name: Mary Ann Viola Thomas Perez Nicknames: No known nicknames Location: Chalmette, Louisiana Date: March 25, 1976 Bio Occupation: Unrevealed Date of Birth: 1943 Height: 5'4" Weight: 108 lbs. Marital Status: Divorced Characteristics: Caucasian female. Reddish brown hair, blue eyes. Case Details: On March 25, 1976, Mary Ann Perez left her home in Chalmette, Louisiana to meet with a girlfriend at a country western bar on the outskirts of New Orleans. She left her oldest daughter, Donna, in charge of the younger children. Before leaving, she told her that she would call around 11pm. At around that time, she did so and said that she would be home shortly. However, she was never heard from again. At approximately 1:30am, Donna got a call from a woman named Dorothy, who claimed that she was a friend of Mary Ann's. She said that Mary Ann was having car trouble but would be home soon. Despite the claim by Dorothy, her car was found abandoned in front of the bar and in perfect condition. Her family was even more concerned because they did not know anyone named "Dorothy". Three days later, her purse was found ten miles away in Lake Pontchartrain. It had been weighed down with a brick. No other trace of her was ever found. Nine years later, in 1985, New Orleans detectives were sent to Wichita, Kansas, to interview a confessed serial killer named David Courtney. He admitted murdering several women in multiple states; one appeared to match Mary Ann's description. He claimed that he and his wife, Donna, had abducted and murdered her. However, her body was not found in the area that he claimed he dumped it. This led her family to believe that she may still be alive. In 1990, Mary Ann's daughter-in-law, Shawn, received a mysterious phone call from an unidentified woman. She claimed that she was Mary Ann's best friend and that she was still alive. She claimed that they were being held captive and that they were not allowed to call again. Although the authorities are convinced that Mary Ann is dead, her family still hopes that she is alive. They believe that David may have not been successful in strangling her, and that she may be alive and suffering from amnesia. Suspects: In 1985, David confessed that he and Donna had killed multiple women in the southern United States during the 1970s. When New Orleans detectives learned that one matched Mary Ann's description, they went to interview him. David stated that one night, he was driving along the highway when he stopped at a country western bar in New Orleans. He noticed an intoxicated woman trying to unlock her car. He offered to give her a ride, but she said she didn't want to make him drive her home. However, he convinced her to get in his car. During the ride, she told him that her name was Mary Ann. A few minutes later, David claimed that he picked up Donna and they drove to their trailer. When the woman fell asleep, they tried to have sex with her. However, she woke up and demanded that she be taken home. Donna then drove the car, while he and the woman sat in the backseat. He then admitted to strangling her to death. They then dumped her body near the Louisiana/Mississippi border. They made no attempt to hide it. When shown a picture of Mary Ann, David felt certain that she was the victim. When shown a picture of her car, he also identified it as hers. When the detective questioned Donna, she told him that she had thrown the victim's purse off a bridge. Based on the evidence, New Orleans detectives believe that David and Donna were responsible for Mary Ann's disappearance and death. However, her body was not found where they claimed they dumped it. The woman calling herself "Dorothy" is also a possible suspect in this case. Her identity is unknown, although some suspect that she could be Donna. Extra Notes: This case first aired on the October 30, 1991 episode. Results: Solved. David and Donna remain the prime suspects in Mary Ann's disappearance. David is serving a life sentence in Kansas for the murder of one of his other victims. However, despite his confession, he was never charged with Mary Ann's murder. Donna was also never charged in this case; she served ten years in prison for her involvement in the other murders and has since died. Sadly, Mary Ann's daughter, Shannon, passed away in 2009. In her obituary, Mary Ann was listed as having pre-deceased her. In December 2017, police and Mary Ann's family announced that they believed her body has been located. In November 1976, eight months after she vanished, skeletal remains were found in a cornfield in Alabama, just over the Mississippi border. They matched her physical description and had jewelry and clothes similar to what she was wearing when she vanished. In May 2018, investigators have noted that this case is practically "solved". They discovered that Mary Ann had been in a car accident shortly before her disappearance, and had a partial dental plate on her upper front teeth. This matched the one found on the Jane Doe. Also, there was evidence that she had been in a car accident. Investigators were able to track down the body to a warehouse in Oklahoma. They compared DNA samples from it to one from Mary Ann's daughter, Donna. In November 2018, the DNA tests positively identified it as belonging to Mary Ann. Alabama investigators have forwarded the information to Alabama and Louisiana prosecutors in hopes of having charges filed against David for her murder. Links: * Mary Ann Perez on Unsolved.com * Mary Ann Perez on the Charley Project * Couple charged in slaying * Police close four-year murder case * Witchita couple linked to murder in Louisiana * Shannon Perez Obituary * Has body of New Orleans' Mary Ann Perez finally been identified? Authorities think so * 2 Cold Cases More than 40 Years Old Believed to Be Linked to Married Serial Killers * Investigators solve cold case after 41 years * Husband And Wife Killer Couple Connected to Cold Case Murder After 41 Years * Remains of 1976 New Orleans murder victim Mary Ann Perez have been recovered, DNA test shows * 40 years after Kansas serial killer admitted to slaying woman, a body is identified * Body found in Alabama is Louisiana woman who vanished in 1976 * Sitcoms Online Discussion thread * Mary Ann Perez on Find a Grave ---- Category:Louisiana Category:1976 Category:Disappearances Category:Abduction Category:Solved